Any love for the Aston Martin V8 Vantage?

LanEvo said:

AND ... the check engine light just came on!

So it begins 

take it to AutoZone, they read CEL for free.  it would probably make their day.

LanEvo said:

I'm amazed at how far back the engine sits in the chassis. Almost a front-midengine car. 

The interior feels very lush, but lots of imperfections. It's weird because the exterior of the car is amazingly perfect in terms of fit and finish. All the panel gaps line up like a laser and the paint is deep, glossy, and consistent. Best paintwork I've ever seen on any car, including Porsche, Ferrari, etc. 

I love the lines of this car. I showed it to a friend of mine who knows nothing about cars and has zero interest. She commented "I don't know what it is, but that car looks sexy. Like a really beautiful woman." I have to agree!

The paintwork is even more dramatic in the sun. The color looks darker and richer. 

These are pictures of your car?  

Maybe I'm missing something, the title of this thread says V8, but that's a V12.  

Also, WRT the trans-  I find it really odd that the car has a single clutch version.  I don't remember who developed this car, but when it's sister Vanquish was being done, it was supposed to have the dual clutch version, which was supposed to carry over to the DB9.  

And I recall one reason was how terrible the single clutch BMW M3 was that we had.  So bad that I almost got motion sickness driving the car.  So I was pretty sure that we (Ford Advanced Powertrain) would never let Aston do a single clutch version.

I wish I still had contacts with the actual engineers who worked directly with Aston- I stopped ~2000 after the '99 DB7 was put into production.  But I kind of cleanly cut ties with everyone last May.

In reply to alfadriver :

Yes. I started the thread seeking info on the V8 Vantage. I was looking to pick up a 4.3L with manual trans.

Ended up going for a V12 Vanquish instead. Now I'm paying the price LOL. 

In reply to alfadriver :

He inquired about a v8 Vantage and ended up with a v12 Vanquish instead! ha

In reply to alfadriver :

I'm close to the guys from Mata Automotive (the founder is my childhood friend), so I know more about Astons from the Gaydon era.

As far as I know, the V12 Vanquish was developed in the late-'90s. These first-generation cars were only offered with one transmission: a six-speed T56 with automated shift control and clutch by Magneti-Marelli. I understand it's the same "F1" system from the 360 Modena and 550 Maranello of that era. I don't believe dual-clutch SMG gearboxes were even a "thing" back then.

Aston later offered a six-speed manual conversion for the Vanquish to the tune of £50k due to customer demand. But, by all accounts, it's not a very good setup.

I'm happy with the shifter in the Vanquish. Just need to breathe off the throttle when shifting. As you said, it's like the E46 M3 SMG. You just have to learn to drive around it a bit. For me, it's part of the experience and doesn't bother me. 

In reply to LanEvo :

Correct. The V12 was an improved version of the one that went into the DB7- found some free power by better block breathing.  The chassis was developed by Lotus but used parts from the LS/S type cousins.  And the trans was MM.  But the whole powertrain (both engine and trans) was developed by Ford Advanced Powertrain (the engine totally came from Advanced Powertrain).  

I managed to drive one late in it's development, and it was pretty cool.  But I wasn't part of the team by then.  

As for the scope creep, that's pretty awesome!!!!

BTW, since that's pretty early, you can get a pretty cheap SCP based CAN device to scan it.  While I'm thinking, I wonder if you can get a vintage Ford Scan tool with the proper card and it should be able to read everything in that car....  

I’m getting an intermittent misfire on cylinder #2. I cleared the codes and made 2 short trips totaling 30 miles without it coming back.

In any case, it looks like it’s time for coils and plugs.

The nerds on the AMOC forums tell me this code represents a leaking PCV. Let's hope that does the trick

That is a VERY bitchin' car! Do you have any pictures of it from a low angle, and far enough away to see the entire car?

In reply to RacerBoy75 :

Taken just now. 

Thanks! It is a beauty.